Darkest Before the Dawn
by foreverasianfusion
Summary: Tina knew that everyone was looking at her. And watching her. She was sure that they were nitpicking every little move she did, every little thing she said. And she hated it. Fill on the Glee Angst Meme, Triggers: Rape not graphic, just mentioned .


**Prompt from Glee-Angst-Meme : **_Tina gets raped and all the guys go mega-protective on her, Mercedes and Sugar listen to her, Brittany doesn't really understand, and the other girls think Tina's just looking for attention._

_**Triggers: Rape**  
_

_I changed it a bit, I included Santana in understanding her because I love Santina sooo._

_Also, just to put this in perspective, everyone knows what happened except for Rachel and Quinn. It made the most sense because I didn't want them to be like heartless because I love them._

* * *

As Tina stepped into the choir room for the first time in weeks, Mike following her with a gentle hand on her back, the Glee club went silent. All eyes were on the couple as they went to their seats. Rachel and Finn stopped practicing their latest duet, Quinn and Artie stopped fooling around with their wheelchairs, everything just _stopped_. An awkward tension filled the room that the Asian couple instantly took notice of.

"Guys, you can keep doing what you're doing." Mike spoke up, notably not holding Tina's hand as the Glee club had grown accustomed to seeing.

"Please." A quiet voice mumbled, and it took a few moments for the people in the room to realize that Tina had muttered the request. Her voice sounded so _broken_.

* * *

_As Tina stepped onto the deserted street, she couldn't help but be struck by the beauty of the quiet street. An avid photographer, Tina was hoping to get a shot that could hopefully be sold in the local art show. Lima, Ohio didn't have many aesthetically pleasing places in the day time, she had realized. But at night, when everyone was asleep and everything looked so simple in the moonlight, she couldn't help but be inspired to take pictures. _

_As she snapped a picture of the moonlight reflecting on the sidewalk, she didn't notice the man step out from the alley way in between the liquor store and the smoke shop. She was so lost in the beauty and tranquility of the quiet night that she was shocked when she felt rough hands cover her mouth. She was in a panic when she heard the words "Scream and I'll kill you" whispered in her ear. The tears fell down her face as he dragged her back into the alley where she came from, and the last thing she remembered was her begging him to stop before he threw her to the ground, so hard she passed out._

* * *

Puck instantly moved his chair to sit at Tina's side, reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder. The two had been mere acquaintances in the beginning of the year, but after her rape, Tina and Puck had grown a lot closer. "You okay, Little Tee?" Nodding, the small girl scooted her chair closer to his and leaned into him. Puck instantly wrapped his arm around her, and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

_Puck had merely wanted to go for a walk to gather his thoughts. He hadn't been able to sleep much lately, with the possibility of being unable to graduate weighing so heavily on his mind and all. As he walked through the dark streets of downtown Lima, he had expected to be met with silence. He was lost in thought when a guy, dress in all black, ran out from the alley between the liquor store and the smoke shop in a hurry. __**Weird**__, he thought to himself, but he kept walking. _

_As he strolled past the alley, however, he heard her. He heard a quiet whimper, something that sounded vaguely familiar as a cry he associated with the choir room. Intrigued and a bit worried, Puck decided to step into the alley to investigate. He was met with a startling sight._

_A girl was lying on the dirty alley floor, clothes ripped and tattered, panties tossed to the side. She was crying, and the back of her head seemed to be bleeding._

"_Holy crap. Tina!" Tina sobbed, whimpering out occasional words and phrases as Puck pulled out his phone and called 911. As soon as he hung up, he instantly sat down at her side, holding onto her hand. "It's okay, Tina, I'm here."_

_She wasn't expected him to grab onto her hand so comfortingly, and she squeezed his hand back. "I t-t-told him no. I was just…" she collapsed into tears once again, and Puck held her. He held her through the ambulance ride and he refused to let go of her hand until her parents arrived at the emergency room._

* * *

As Tina furthered herself into Pucks embrace, Finn and Sam both moved to sit in front of the trio.

"Hi, Tina." Finn greeted her, a somber edge to his voice, as he turned to face her. "We just… we wanted to let you know that we're here for you. Whatever you need." Sam nodded his agreement, reaching out to pat her knee. Tina whimpered and jerked her knee away, burying her face into Pucks shoulder. Sam looked guilty.

"It's nothing against you, Sam." Puck explained quietly, stroking her hair. "She just… doesn't want to be touched right now. At least not… there."

Most of the girls Glee were a bit lost. Tina had been so… hesitant with Mike, yet had instantly curled into Puck's side. _Puck_. And Mike hadn't said a word, instead only looking over at the pair for a brief moment, sympathy illustrated in his eyes, and going back to his phone. The only person who really understood what was going on was Mercedes, and for once she had decided to just stay quiet. Gossip was her specialty. Dealing with a tragedy that affected her best friend's life was not.

Mike put his phone away after answering a text (from his mother, asking how Tina was doing) and stared at Tina and Puck. He knew Puck and Tina had formed a bond because of the… because of what had happened. He refused to even say it in his head, the thought of someone doing that to his girlfriend making every ounce of anger in his body bubble up to the surface. As his phone vibrated in his pocket, he looked down at it. He had grown to resent his phone, seeing as it was a stupid useless piece of plastic that told him his girlfriend had been hurt.

* * *

_A phone call can change lives. And at 2 AM on a Wednesday morning, Mike Chang was not expecting a phone call to change his. _

_Cursing at the early hour, he reached over to his nightstand to pick up his cell. He hadn't recognized the ring tone, so that meant that the person calling was someone he didn't know. "Hello?"_

"_M-Mike?" Instantly sitting up, Mike recognized the voice on the other end of the phone. "It's Mrs. Cohen-Chang. I k-know it's late but… Tina she…"_

_A rush of nervousness and anxiety overcame the dancer as he sat up. "What happened Mrs. C? Please just tell me."_

_He could hear her sobbing into the phone, and he thought he could faintly hear Mr. Chang yelling something in the background. The only thing he realized he couldn't hear, however, was Tina. He yearned to hear anything, whether it be crying or laughing or talking or hell he'd take yelling just so he'd know that she was okay. _

_He wasn't sure what to expect, but by the way Mrs. Chang was acting, he knew it was bad. He felt as if he couldn't breathe as he waited to know what on earth was going on the his girlfriend. A car accident? Maybe she fainted? Or had another panic attack? He had no clue, but he just wanted to know._

_What actually happened, however, he didn't expect. He didn't expect Mrs. Cohen-Chang to mutter the words "She was raped tonight."_

* * *

Brittany didn't understand what was going on. Santana told her that a mean man had attempted to hurt Tina really bad. She didn't like that. She thought Tina was super awesome, although she did sometimes worry that she was going to suck her blood. But she made Mikey happy, and now Mikey was sad. Santana had told her it wasn't Tina's fault that Mikey was sad. But now Tina was all cuddly with Puck, and she was just really confused.

She didn't really know the definition of the word rape, but it sounded a lot like that weird Alien Invasion she experienced in cheerleading camp that one time.

* * *

Kurt and Blaine watched Tina quietly, with almost identical expressions on their face that were pity and hurt and anger and relief all at once. When they had heard the news, both had been at Kurt's house, snuggled together and watching _Chicago_ for the fifth time this year. Blaine had gotten a text from Mike ("_Is that your bro again? How is the bromance going?" "Wonderful actually, thanks for asking. We're thinking of getting bromarried next year."_) asking him to call him as soon as possible.

"_Hey hey hey, Mike Chang. What are you up to?"_

_Kurt chuckled at his boyfriend, curling further into his side as Roxie Hart finished belting out his favorite song of the musical._

"_Wait. Mike, calm down, deep breaths. Tell me what happened."_

_Kurt turned to look back at his boyfriend, noting that something was obviously wrong. "What? Tina's in the hospital! Why?"_

_Instantly, Kurt turned to grab his phone, and was a bit surprised to see that there was no text waiting from him, either from Tina or from Mrs. CC. Whenever something was wrong with Tina, he'd always be the first to know. It was odd for him not be told what was going on._

_A harsh breath was heard from his boyfriend, and Kurt could feel the room go cold. "She was raped?"_

_Tears immediately rushed to his eyes at the thought of someone hurting his girl so deeply. Tina was probably the most amazing girl he knew. Her sarcastic humor always would light up the room and while quiet, her commentary on even the most mundane of things made him want to know more. The thought of anyone causing her pain made his stomach churn._

_As soon as Blaine hung up the phone, Blaine was livid, standing up and pacing angrily._

"_I'm going to find that piece of scum who hurt her and… I'm going to kick his ass! He's going to wish he had never been born and.. I just… I don't get why…" His voice cracked as he continued to pace, before finally he broke down in tears. _

_The pair held each other throughout the night while waiting for updates about her condition._

Kurt and Blaine moved to sit with the boys and Tina.

"Tina?" The girl raised her head from her position on Pucks shoulder, obviously exhausted. "I… _we_ all love you, Tina. I just really want you to know that. And we're here for you. All of us are." The boys all nodded their agreement, and a small smile passed Tina's lips.

Reaching out for Mike's hand, she spoke quietly. "Thank you. It means a lot to me…"

Rachel and Quinn rolled their eyes. Up until now, they had been able to stomach all of the "poor Tina" emotions running around the club, but they felt as if enough was enough. Something terrible had happened to her, thought they weren't sure what. But exploiting it for attention? That was just selfish.

_The morning before the alleged traumatic experience for Tina, Tina, Rachel, and Quinn had a conversation in the choir room before everyone else arrived._

_While discussing the latest episode of "Grey's Anatomy", Tina has suddenly interrupted the conversation._

"_Do you guys think I'm boring?"_

_The two girls frowned. "Tina, no!"_

"_Of course not. While you may not be as talented as I am or as experienced and popular as Quinn, you are certainly interesting. I mean… you're adopted! That is incredibly interesting."_

_Tina frowned a bit. "I don't know. I feel like all I'm known for is being Mike's girlfriend. I love him, but I want an identity of my own."_

_Quinn laid a gentle hand on her arm. "You do have an identity of your own. You're Tina, the kindest, sweetest, most genuine girl in Glee."_

"_And if you think you're so boring," Rachel added, "make a splash of your own. Sing an awesome song in Glee! Or bust out a Mike-approved dance during lunch. __**Make**__ people think you're interesting."_

_Tina nodded thoughtfully. While she had never been one to demand attention, it would be nice to bask in the glory of performing solo like the others in the club so often got to do. "Good advice, Rach."_

_As Rachel thanked her, the rest of the club walked in and the conversation was over._

"I think she may have misunderstood our advice." Quinn pondered. "I mean, I feel for her, whatever happened must have been terrible, but it's been weeks. Isn't it time she moves on?"

"What did happen, anyway?" Rachel asked.

Santana, who had been quietly observing their conversation answered their question. "Rape." All heads in the room turned to face her, shocked she had actually said the word. "Tina. Was. Raped. It isn't a dirty word, it's the truth and it needs to be said." She glared at Rachel and Quinn, walking up to the pair. "And if she wants to cry or yell or scream or fucking sing about it, you will let her do it because she deserves it after the hell she's been through. And if you have a problem with it, there is the fucking door, so go ahead or I will go all Lima Heights on your sorry, selfish asses!"

The pair looked at each other. "R-raped? We… we thought she got into a car accident!" Quinn explained.

"Why didn't anyone tell us?" Rachel asked, turning to her boyfriend who obviously had known what had happened with Tina.

Quietly, Mike answered for his girlfriend. "Tina didn't want many people to know, guys… She was terrified word would get out and people would think less of her or something. I told her they wouldn't but… you guys know her. She's a private person."

Both were in shock, and sat down quietly.

"Tina, I'm… I'm sorry for assuming you were trying to get attention. I.. I didn't know. I swear I didn't and… _God_, Tina is there anything I can do?" Rachel questioned, in tears.

Puck looked down at the prone girl beside him and shook his head. "She doesn't want anyone to do anything besides be there for her."

Santana smiled a bit. "She'd really appreciate a song, though. She asked me to request a Florence + The Machine song sung in her honor."

_Visiting Tina had been a daunting task for Santana. She had almost said no, but hearing Mike's voice on the phone, being so distraught and angry at the world, convinced her to go and visit her friend. _

"_She's refusing to talk to anyone that isn't Puck. When I went to the emergency room to see her, she seemed almost afraid of me. Like I'd hurt her, which I would never do, San. She's locked herself in her room. She doesn't even talk to Mercedes or Kurt, her phone is always off and I just…" she could hear Mike sniffle and knew he was crying. She ignored it. "I just… I need you to try. Maybe she'll let you in too."_

_Stepping into the room she had grown so accustomed to visiting, she realized that everything was neat. Like… scary neat. Tina was never a slob, but the books in her bookshelf were never color coded like they were now._

"_Tina?"_

_The girl was curled up in a ball on her bed, not moving. Santana sat next to her, and they sat in silence for about an hour before Tina finally spoke._

"_I was raped."_

_Quietly, Santana rubbed her back. "I know."_

_Tina quickly dissolved into a mess of tears and yelling and kicking and Santana held her through it._

Rachel hesitantly reached out to lay a hand on Tina's arm, and smiled when she didn't move her hand away. "We'll sing any song you'd like us to, Tina."

* * *

Tina knew that everyone was looking at her. And watching her. She was sure that they were nitpicking every little move she did, every little thing she said. And she hated it.

She hated that this happened to her. She hated that she couldn't allow herself to be close to her boyfriend. She hated that he still loved her, unintentionally making her feel guilty for not reciprocating any act of affection. She hated that Puck had to see her in that alley. She hated that she refused to see any of her friends. She hated that Santana had to comfort her. She hated that any movement near her waist or lower made her freak out. She hated that her friends thought she would lie for attention. She hated that she felt like her body wasn't hers anymore. And she hated, with a diehard passion, that she had been raped.


End file.
